Faculty Profile – Dr. Mona Engvig

Dr. Engvig, who prefers to be called Mona, has taught leadership and supervised the important Integration project course for the Sandermoen School of Business at the University of Fredericton for several years.

Teaching both MBA and Executive MBA students, this engaging professor is known for her ability to forge mutually enriching relationships with students.

Mona, a Fulbright Scholar, received her PhD in Administration and Policy Analysis from Stanford University in 1997 with a focus on organizational issues. Mona considers her primary area of expertise as online education and is sought after internationally for consulting and speaking engagements on the topic. She holds two Masters Degrees in Arts Administration (non-profit management) and in Sociology (organizational studies).

Mona is dedicated to peer-learning, something that involves students more interactively in the learning process. As she describes, “Our students have so much to contribute, if only we encourage them to. As instructors we need to change from being ‘the sage on the stage’ to being ‘the guide on the side’”.

For the last 15 years, Mona has devoted her professional career to online teaching along with researching and writing articles and books on e-learning. Her rationale for teaching online is that she finds online students to be more open and interactive with class peers and the instructor, and often finds that they have an advanced level of maturity.

Adept at facilitating and coaching rather than just lecturing, Mona is known for her enthusiasm and uncompromising responsiveness to students’ challenges and needs. She relishes the opportunity both to support them in their academic progress and also help them find solutions in affiliated areas of career and management. She views her role as being on her students’ team to help them achieve their dreams through advanced education and problem-solving skills. Her didactic style and personal openness stimulate learning and appeal to Sandermoen students at all levels.

When asked about her experience at the Sandermoen School of Business, Mona had the following to say:

“The main reason I love to teach at the Sandermoen School of Business is the awesome quality of our students! I am sure this is partially derived from cultural influences as I was brought up in Norway, which has a more cooperative and community oriented culture than most other countries. When I work with students at Sandermoen, I find many of the same attitudes that I experienced growing up and going to school in Norway.”

Students at Sandermoen come from a wide range of backgrounds, both personally and professionally, contributing varied perspectives to their academic pursuits. The majority of students at Sandermoen are Canadian, but Mona finds that cultural diversity is a common theme in her classes, stating “the cultural diversity we have makes for exceptional peer-learning experiences, so critical in a global marketplace.”

When discussing additional traits of students studying at Sandermoen, Mona noted that students “are motivated to learn and are exceptionally qualified. Many are already ensconced in careers and, as a result, have a wealth of experience that they willingly share. What’s more, they write better than many students I’ve taught.”

Finally, Mona notes that “UFred students are more equally prepared, compared to most universities I’m familiar with. This leads to a higher level of inclusion, more meaningful online discussion, and impressive presentations in the vClasses.” These factors make for a fulfilling educational experience for both professor and students alike.